Isabelle de Borchgrave and Paper Sculpture

Artist Handout: Isabelle de Borchgrave

Artist: Isabelle de Borchgrave

[https://isabelledeborchgrave.com/pages/biography]

is a Belgian artist who was born in 1946. She is

best known for her paper sculptures. She started

her art journey at the age of 14! Her career took an

exciting turn in 1994 when she started to combine

her love for fashion, art, and history all into one.

She started to make elaborate paper sculptures.

Isabelle created many sculptures based on dresses

and attire from those known as Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, the Empress Eugenie, the

consort of Napoleon III, or the Ottoman kaftans. Though she is best known for her

paper sculpture, Borchgrave didn’t give up painting or creating other forms of sculpture.

Her pieces are on display to do this day all across the world! She now lives and works in

Brussels, Belgium.

“While painting may be a question of technique, it should first and foremost be a source

of pleasure. You have to look long and carefully if you are to re-invent; you have to do a lot of

drawings before you can master the line. When technique has finally been totally absorbed, then

and only then, does it leave room for free gesture, for pure creation and ultimately for joy.” –

Isabelle de Borchgrave

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World and Audience: Borchgrave’s work is displayed all over the world; in 2023 alone,

she had over 40+ pieces on display. Her exhibitions range from Belgium, Switzerland,

France, Japan, Brazil, the U.K. and even to the U.S. Her audience seems to be captivated

by her ability to make paper sculpture replicas of historically accurate dresses, as she

tends to use paint and paper alone!

Marie de’ Medici (1543–1642), 2006

Inspired by a 1595 portrait by Pietro Facchetti

(Italian, 1535/1539–1619) in the collection of the

Palazzo Lancellotti, Rome

Mixed media, primarily acrylic, ink, metallic

powder, and adhesive on paper

Artwork: Borchgrave is fascinated with

historical fashion, as well as what paper

can allow you to create. She claims it is

more resistant to outside properties than

fabric, and tends to not limit what she can

and cannot do! She paints it, irons it,

shrinks it, basically anything you can

think of. Isabelle longs to tell a historical

story through her paper fashion and

sculpture!

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Mantua, 2011

Based on a court mantua circa 1750 in the

collection of the Victoria and Albert

Museum, London

Mixed media, primarily acrylic, ink, metallic

powder, and adhesive on paper

[https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/for-artist-isabelle-de-borchgrave-the-future-of-fashion-is-in-paper]

Borchgrave creates interesting textures and folds by manipulating the paper to

mimic fabric.

“What makes paper precious to de Borchgrave is its simplicity. In line with the tradition

of Arte Povera, an art form which seeks to create beauty using everyday objects, she turns a

household item as common as paper into admired artworks. Though she has now become

re-known in the world of paper design and Belgian art, this admiration grew over many long

years of hard work.” - Marie van Boxel from Culture Trip

Subjective Frame:

What is your first impression of the sculptures? Do they look like paper? What gives

them a realistic feel?

What do these sculptures remind you of? Any historical figure in particular?

Structural Frame:

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How do the dresses stand out in terms of style?

Can you tell what time period they’re from?

Describe what techniques or ways the sculptures may be formed to give the viewer clues

as what historical time period they may be from.

Cultural Frame:

What kind of people do you believe would be wearing these kinds of dresses?

What could be the reason Borchgrave is recreating these clothes in the present day?

Vocabulary:

Texture: the feel,

appearance, or consistency

of a surface or substance.

Folds: bend (something

flexible and relatively flat)

over on itself so that one

part of it covers another.

Technique: a way of carrying out a particular task, especially the execution or

performance of an artistic work or a scientific procedure.

Composition: the artistic arrangement of the parts of a picture.

Ideas for Artwork and Research:

Think of your identity and what best represents yourself. Have a piece of clothing you

really like? What do you find yourself more interested in?

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Research different types of wearables.

Sketch out your designs and ideas on paper, practice different folding techniques to see

which ones you like more!

Experiment with paper - what all can you construct with paper, paint, and glue?

Make a paper wearable to show off your personality and interests.

Francesca Vitali

Onde Bracelet

Recycled Shopping Bag

Francesca Vitali

Francesca is a chemist-turned contemporary

jewelry making artist. She creates paper jewelry

from multiple different pieces of paper, even

some shopping bags! What sets her apart from Borchgrave is her more abstract, and

sculptural approach to designing her jewelry. She tends to create these with multiple

purposes as well, with most being made to wear.

[https://www.francescavitalipaperjewelry.com/pages/about] Francesca even sells some of

her work on her own website.

“My aesthetic is minimalist with an emphasis on geometric forms and clean lines, but I

don’t shy away from an occasional challenge to create something completely out of my comfort

zone. One of the focal points when creating wearable sculptures is color. Some of my most

recognizable pieces have the signature black and white color blocking scheme with a touch of

red, and some of the newest collections are all about playful colors combined with strokes of

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paint.” - Francesca Vitali

Compare and Contrast:

How are Borchgrave and Vitali’s paper sculptures/wearables the same? How are

they different?

What do the different approaches to paper sculpture say about the two artists?

How does Vitali’s approach differ from Borchgrave?

Who might be the audience for Vitali’s work/wearables?